A referee getting the chance to officiate in a World Cup on its own is a huge honour, let alone a World Cup semifinal.
And as far as World Cup semifinals go, there aren't too many bigger than the clash between co-hosts Australia and European champions England, which is set to take place at Stadium Australia on August 16.
In a match pitting two evenly matched sides against each other in what is set to be a cauldron like atmosphere in front of 75,000 fans, it will be a difficult job for whoever is in the middle in a match that very well could go to extra time or the dreaded penalty shootout.
The Sporting News looks at who has been entrusted with the tough job of refereeing the Matildas and Lionesses semifinal.
MORE: Australia vs England live blog
Who is referee for Australia vs England?
The referee who has been selected to officiate the second semifinal between Australia and England is Tori Penso of the USA.
Penso, originally from Florida, has been refereeing since 2013, where she began officiating college games as well as in the domestic National Women's Soccer League.
After serving as an assistant or fourth official in the MLS, she became the ninth woman to referee an MLS match in 2020, and was the first woman to do so in 20 years.
The match will be her fourth at the 2023 World Cup and her second in the knockout rounds, after she took charge of France's heavy Round of 16 win over Morocco in Adelaide.
Which captain will be leading their team to World Cup glory? 🙌 pic.twitter.com/tKI8ybf6Ks
— FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) August 14, 2023
Where to watch Australia vs England
Fans around the world will be able to watch the co-hosts and European champions fight for a spot in the final on both TV as well as online live streaming options; Channel Seven in Australia will be showing the game live and free in Australia, where there have been record viewing figures all tournament, whilst BBC One will be showing all the action in the UK.
| TV channel | Streaming | |
| USA | FOX | Fubo, Fox Sports site/app, Peacock, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo (Spanish) |
| UK | BBC One, RTE 2 | BBC iPlayer, RTE Player, BBC Sport Web |
| Australia | Optus Sport, Channel Seven | Optus Sport, 7Plus |
| Canada | TSN1, TSN 5, RDS, CTV | TSN+, RDS app, CTV App, Noovo |
| India | DD Sports | FanCode |
| New Zealand | Sky Sport 1 NZ, Prime TV | Sky Sport NOW, Prime TV |
| Singapore | FIFA WWC CH01 | meWATCH |
| Hong Kong | Now Sports Prime | Now Player |
| Malaysia | — | FIFA+ |
Fans in select regions of the world can stream the Women's World Cup live on FIFA+, including in Japan, Brazil, Indonesia and Thailand.
